Under the Radar (COMPLETED)

Dre's Way Pt. 2

I angrily pace my room, with tears falling down my face not caring about my bleeding hands. There's blisters all over them. "Maya." My mom keeps trying to tend to my hands. She has no idea why I'm so upset but she just wants to help me. I hear a knock on the door and I can only assume it's my friends. She runs to see who's at the door and I hear her ask what happened. I assume the fill her in. She walks back in, with peroxide and tweezers. "Sit. Now." She says softly but sternly. I pace a few more times, before sitting down. Now that I'm sitting, I feel the pain in my hands. She tends to my hands, as my friends watch and I daze out. I wanted to smash Mason's face in. Part of my anger is because he's missed every important moment in my life and the other part is because he hurt Dre. I never try to make new friends but Dre was an unexpected one I wanted to keep. Ain't no way he messing with me, now.

She finishes fixing up my hands and kisses my forehead. I know she's pissed but she doesn't want to show out, in front of my friends. "Girl, what was that?" Keisha finally asks. She's known me the longest and I've never lashed out like that. "I don't know. He just makes me so mad." I explain. "You just almost beat up your dad...with a stick." Daisy kinda laughs. I know it doesn't even sound like me. "In front of his boys." Trevor adds, making it worse. I lay back on my bed and replay everything. "I wanted to see his face bleeding." I say. "We gotta go to school in a few weeks. Don't land yourself in jail. You don't know what that man would do to keep you away from Dre." Keisha says, making a point. All I know is I'm glad I took his money, before this happened. I'm sure he would've stopped the payment on it.

***

Today's my last day at work and to be honest, I can't believe I stayed this long. I haven't been the same, over the past couple of weeks. My mom is small talking me and Dre won't answer my calls. I just want to get the hell out of here and never look back. "Ten minutes." Keisha shrieks. We made sure we were scheduled for the morning shift, so we can have the rest of our Friday off. Our new manager, Trina, been real cool. "I never wanna see this place again." I whisper back. I watch as people trail in and out the store. People have a love-hate relationship with Rainbow. It's like you know there can be some cute stuff but you don't want to risk saying you actually bought something out of here.

I watch 3PM show up on the computer screen and I scream inside. The next shift's leader and workers are already here, so I quickly clock out. Keisha follows suit and we head to the back for our things. "Well would you look at that. The manager is not in here sitting on her ass." Keisha jokes. "She's actually doing what she's paid to do." I joke back. We damn sure don't miss Denisha ass. We say our goodbyes, to everyone and head out. Now, we have to start worrying about packing and what not. Even though I drive my friends and I everywhere, I can't drive them to school. We're all going to have too much shit, so we all gotta go solo. My mom's going to trail behind me, so she can help me unpack and stuff. I honestly can't wait.

When I pull up to our apartments, I'm shocked to see Dre leaning on the back of his car. He's alone; not even one of his boys are in sight. "I'll be watching." Keisha says, before getting out and heading up to her place. I step out and just stand there, looking at him. You can tell he was hurt badly but recovering. "I'm so sorry." I say, breaking the silence. He takes a moment, before saying anything. "Your mom up there?" He asks. "No." I answer. I take that as he wants to go up there, so I lead the way. If I thought I was scared the first time, I'm definitely scared now. Ain't no telling what he bout to do.

We walk inside and I close the door. I don't lock it, just in case I need to run. "It took me a couple of weeks, to think about what I want to do." Dre says. I think about any weapons I can grab, nearby. "I want out." He says, shocking me. "Out of what?" I ask. "This hood! I'm so sick of this shit, Maya. It's so much more out here than selling dope and being in gangs and shit. Why did I ever think this shit was cool?" He paces my living room. Never in a million years did I ever think he'd say that. "But you can't get out right?" I know there's a lot more into than us non members know. "The crazy thing is, I must've always knew in the back of my mind that this shit wasn't for me. Most niggas stay in the hood. I don't live in that house them niggas think I live in. I'm always there but you know my real house. I go there a few times a week and sleep. People just think I'm out there hoeing and slanging. I'm not tryna be in this shit no more man." "So what are you going to do?" I ask. "I gotta bring down the house, Maya." He says it so intensely. I feel like I'm in a movie.

"What exactly does that mean?" "Mase ain't gone just let me leave and pass it down to Josh. They gonna wanna jump me some more. They gone rob me, for sure and last but not least, they gone all but kill me. I'm too far in and I know too much shit. It's either I snitch or they gone think I'ma snitch and then kill my ass." "Oh no. You can't do that." I say. "I don't have a choice, Maya. Then after that shit you pulled, I heard it might be a hit on my ass." "What?!" "There's a lot of shit you don't know about Mase. He's the worst of the worst. It's a reason his ass stay so fucking low key." "I can't deal with this." Now I'm pacing back and forth. "I need your help, Maya." He says. "With what? I can't help you!" I yell. "You can. You gotta get back cool with Mase, if I'ma have any chance of surviving this." "What? Hell no! I just almost assaulted him!" "Tell him you came to your sense and apologize or some shit." "Dre. I can't do that." I say. "Maya, please. I am begging you. I just want to get out of here. You wanna get out of here too." "But I don't want anything to do with him!" "I just need like one month, to figure it all out and get it done." "Are you going to kill him?" I ask. "Girl, don't ask me no shit like that!" He yells.

"Dre, this is all too much." I say. "I know." He sighs and plops down on the couch. "I just know there's more in this life, for me. I'm a successful business owner and I'm not talking bout this shit here." He points outside. "I might be young but I'm ready to settle down and start enjoying life with someone." "You got plenty hoes who'd love to hear that." I snare. "I don't want them, Maya. They just want the money and the lifestyle. I need somebody smart and got her head on her damn shoulders. Can't have no dumb broad." I slip off into deep thought about the night we spent together. Besides the fact that I got caught, it was actually dope. I could do it all over again. SNAP OUT OF IT, MAYA. This man has done God knows how many crimes and possibly wants to do more. It's bad enough people already seen us together. And I know the streets talking about what Mason did and why. "Let me just think some things through. Don't think because you going to school, you getting away from me. You gone help me with this shit." Dre says and walks out. WTF?